21mm Fight Dance

I had two ten-year-old boys with me; they said ?Fight dancing!? Really itwas [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira"]Capoeira[/URL], somewherebetween a martial art and dance form, invented by African slaves in Brazil.There are a couple of stories but let?s start with the picture.

[IMG]http://fixunix.com/PS086368.png[/IMG][B]Chili and Blues[/B]

This happened at the[URL="http://www.gastownblog.com/gastown-blues-and-chili-fest/"]GastownBlues and Chili Fest[/URL].[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastown"]Gastown[/URL] is a touristdistrict here, blues and chili need no introduction. They blocked off astreet and had electric blues on a stage at one end, and (while we were there)Capoeira at the other. In between were stands selling chili, and you couldget beer or wine.

It was a warm afternoon and a cheery, if crowded event, with only moderatespillover of the sad folk from the[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Eastside"]DowntownEastside[/URL]. I?d brought my ten-year-old son and his friend and mythree-year-old daughter, and I?d never actually walked the kids pastvacant-eyed ravaged-faced junkies before. What they call a teachable moment, and I said afew words about being[URL="http://fixunix.com/ongoing/When/200x/2003/04/10/Downtown%20Eastside"]On Drugs[/URL].

When the [URL="http://www.mudbayblues.com/"]Mud Bay Blues Band[/URL] started in on that?lectric boogie, my little girl went crazy, scampering tothe front and leaping around; I think she?ll grow up to be a rocker. The boysaid he thought it was too loud. Hmm.

[IMG]http://fixunix.com/chili1.png[/IMG]The event was supposed to be noon-to-seven, but they ran out of chili atfour. I think I got one of the last bowls, from[URL="http://www.wildricevancouver.com/"]Wild Rice[/URL], and if the otherswere anywhere near as good, that place was chili heaven.

[B]Try Wide and Prime[/B]

Having lured you in with talk of food and family and music and dance, I?mgoing to veer into photo-geekery. This is just by way of saying thank-you tothe world in general for the existence of wide-angle[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_lens"]prime lenses[/URL],and to Pentax in particular for the[URL="http://www.pentaximaging.com/camera-lenses/smc_PENTAX_DA_21mm_F3.2_AL_Limited/"]SMC DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited[/URL],which is distinguished by being small, light, and unfragile.That Capoeira picture, and a large majority of[URL="http://fixunix.com/ongoing/What/The%20World/Places/Japan/Shimane/"]those Japaneseshots[/URL], benefit from its virtues.

I?ve[URL="http://fixunix.com/ongoing/When/200x/2007/05/24/Pentax-SMC-DA-21mm"]written about[/URL]this lens before, and about the[URL="http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2007/07/31/Photo-Sweep#p-3"]advantagesof prime lenses[/URL]. This really isn?t an ad for a particular Pentax lens,it?s a call-out to anyone with a replaceable-lens camera to try thefollowing: get a small prime wide-angle lens, leave the others behind, and gofor a walk. You might come across a fight dance.




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